Virtual-Ceiling-Line Following Robots and Its Mathematical Modeling

Abstract

A new robot guidance technique is introduced by making use of a virtual line connecting between the two adjacent ceiling marker points to guide the robot’s movement. This so-called virtual-ceiling-line following robot offers lower installation and maintenance costs, as compared to its conventional floor-line following counterpart. In order to enable design investigation and possible optimization before an actual implementation, the mathematical models describing the robot’s components that mainly control its movement are developed. These include the models for wheel movement, markers’ position relative to the robot’s position, and calculation of the alignment deviation. By utilizing the models in numerical simulations, the dynamic characteristics of the robot’s movement are investigated. It is demonstrated that the models can be successfully employed for initial parameters adjustment of the PID controller before actual robot implementation.